– Change of Club Year. In order to ease the administration of payment of England Athletics (EA) fees and to allow for the possibility of using the EA subscription collection system for our membership renewals the committee felt that it makes sense to align the renewal dates to 1st April. In theory this is represents a change to the constitution and as such should be agreed at a general meeting of the club. However we felt that it was unlikely that we would be able to organise a quorate Extraordinary General Meeting (we only just manage to scrape a quorum for the AGM) and did not want to wait another year before making the change. So we have gone ahead and asked for 15 months subs this January. We intend to have this decision ratified at the next AGM (April 10th) and, given the lack of any reaction to the announcement, feel confident that this will be acceptable. In the event that this is not the case we could just continue with a January renewal date by collecting 9 months subs next year.
– Increase in subs. The subscription will increase by £1 next year to keep up with rising costs, i.e. Full membership will be £32 plus £15 EA affiliation fee. As we are collecting 15 months’ subs this will be £40 plus EA fee. Subs are due on 1st January so please remember to renew promptly!
– Affiliation to England Athletics for all active members. As a club affiliated to England Athletics we feel it is only right that all our active members (i.e. excluding non-running/social/honorary members) should be affiliated to EA. Every year we find that members have joined as unaffiliated and then realise that they cannot represent the club in road and XC races. This then leads to a scramble to get them affiliated and adds to the burden on the Membership Secretary. The number of EA members also affects the number of club places we receive at the London Marathon. The annual subscription will therefore include the EA fee, the only exception being for second claim members who are affiliated to EA through their first claim club.
– Future of The Nevill. Nevill Rep, Peter Richardson, and Chairman, Andy Howey, have been involved in discussions with TWBC, Kent County Cricket Club and the various other sporting clubs who call The Nevill their home, considering the future development of the ground and looking at improvements and new facilities. It’s early days yet but we will report back when there is anything concrete to say.
– Lost Runners. Recently a female guest wrote to us to say that she had been left to run on her own, had got lost and ended up in tears. No-one noticed that she had not returned to the club. We are trying to ensure that guest runners, who are deciding whether to join us, sign back in after a run and would urge everyone to look out for their fellow runners. Please be aware of people running on their own; even if they are running at a slower pace than you try to run with them or at the very least check that they are happy to be running alone. This applies to all runners; even those who have been members for years may find themselves without their usual running mates on occasion.
– Be bright, be seen. It’s good to see a sea of bright yellows and reflective gear in the club house on a Wednesday evening…please remember to keep wearing your high vis on these dark nights.
– Publicity. We still need someone to act as Publicity Rep. The only way to get coverage in the local press is if we send in our own reports and photos. The Courier has been a Harrier-free zone for too long now. Isn’t there anyone out there who would like to take on this role?
– Half Marathon raises record amount. With thoughts turning to next year’s Half Marathon it is great to report that this year’s race raised a record amount for charity, with £22,000 (including the voluntary donations from entrants) being distributed to various charities. One of these, Mental Health Resource, were delighted with our donation and asked us to pass on details of their work, particularly their training on mental health issues in the workplace, see https://www.twmhr.org.uk/mental-health-a for details.
– Red Box Project. We often receive requests to support charities and various local initiatives. The latest of these is the Red Box Project which looks to provide free sanitary supplies to the disadvantaged in the community. While it’s not practical for us to set up a collection point at The Nevill, as we only share the premises, we thought we’d pass on the request to members to support this good cause by bringing it to your attention. There are plenty of collection points in the local area; have a look athttp://redboxproject.org/ for details.
(Tunbridge Wells – Classic Barber, 65 Grosvenor Road. High Brooms & Southborough SlimmingWorld, Kent County Council, 9 Hanover Road, Chainers leaflet distribution, 43 Powdermill Lane, Post and packing, 22 Mount Pleasant and The Camden Centre. Pembury – Nannas coffee shop, Waterfield House, GP surgery and Pembury Fitness. Paddock Wood – Putlands Gym,The Inprint Shop andBeginners 2 Runners.)
Here are some more dates for your diaries (see the website for full details and to keep up with any changes):
Sunday 27th January – Kent Grand Prix (KGP) Canterbury 10
Sunday 10th February –KGP Deal Half Marathon
Sunday 17th February – Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon
Sunday 10th March – KGP Lydd 20 (NB This means that the date for the Club Road Champs will be re-arranged)
Sunday 7th April – KGP Paddock Wood Half Marathon (Kent Long Course Champs – All categories)
Wednesday 10th April – AGM
Sunday 12th May – KGP Darenth Valley 10k
Finally, on behalf of the committee, I’d like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas.
Lucille Joannes
Secretary TW Harriers